China vs India: Population aged 15-24 years
China
163,206 thousands
in 2025
India
257,080 thousands
in 2025
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
Population aged 15-24 years over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 257,080 thousands against 163,206 thousands in China, a difference of 93,874 thousands.
That makes India's figure about 1.6 times China's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 230 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and India in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 174,080 thousands | 115,633 thousands | 58,447 thousands | China |
| 1980s | 226,550 thousands | 146,919 thousands | 79,631 thousands | China |
| 1990s | 227,687 thousands | 180,609 thousands | 47,078 thousands | China |
| 2000s | 220,215 thousands | 221,400 thousands | 1,186 thousands | India |
| 2010s | 194,314 thousands | 248,056 thousands | 53,742 thousands | India |
| 2020s | 162,148 thousands | 257,855 thousands | 95,707 thousands | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population aged 15-24 years, China or India?
- India, at 257,080 thousands against 163,206 thousands in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population aged 15-24 years between China and India?
- 93,874 thousands, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for population aged 15-24 years?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 230 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population aged 15-24 years (thousands). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release